Employee Engagement Can Make or Break a Business.

Every member of your staff may do their job, attend meetings, and try to stay on level terms with their coworkers. But the real question is, are your employees engaged or are they faking it?

How does a staff performance boost of over 200% sound?

Statistics gurus Gallup say that’s how much your business can benefit from awareness of how your employees are feeling and ensuring that they are truly engaged.

The key word is engagement. Any team member can put in a work day yet feel no satisfaction, pride, or connection to their job. The staff who really cares will connect on a personal level with the business and its mission. This leads to greater positivity at work, higher morale, increased performance, and a far more satisfied customer base.

Employee engagement in today’s workplace

If your team isn’t giving their all, they’re part of a worldwide problem. Employee disengagement splits into “not engaged” and the far costlier “actively disengaged.” Globally, many workers are disengaged costing the world’s economy trillions of dollars.

The American workforce is over 125 million strong, but strong may not be the word if more than half are disengaged from their work. Just as engaged workers are a boon, disengaged workers are the bane of business because of decreased performance, base level performance, dissatisfied customers, and disharmony within the team.

Since not every job has an interactive customer element to inform managers of employee performance, a simple smile while doing the minimum can mean that a disengaged worker escapes notice

So, if everybody is smiling, what are the criteria for telling the difference?

The disengagement checklist

As the figures show, not everyone is happy at work; it doesn’t mean they’re bad people or out to damage the business. Some employees may lack focus or passion and underperform for reasons managers can fix. As usual, it begins with assessment and communication.

Here are some questions to ask about any employee:

Do they know what’s expected of them?

Do they integrate with the team?

Are they enthusiastic?

Are they timely and attentive to their work?

Are they seeking opportunities to advance?

If the answer to those is “no,” you have issues. For those who are merely disengaged, all of these could be explained by personal issues hampering increased performance. Active help from HR and coaching from supervisors could see them re-engage quickly.

Those who are actively disengaged will lack the above while complaining about their job, supervisors, co-workers and the company in general. They’re a disruptive presence whose grievances may or may not be legitimate. But it’s a red alert for management to get to the root of the problem.

High turnover, lost customers and absent workers

Customers wield more power than ever via social media and review sites. If they encounter any staff member who is less than engaged, they’re going to spread negative opinions and your business will suffer. Today more than ever, it is important to build a company culture which addresses employee engagement.

There’s a maxim in the job market: “People join companies but they quit managers.” So, employee engagement must start from the top.

Management must connect with employees on a personal level and make sure basic needs are being met. What are they? Employees need to receive constructive feedback and feel appreciated and acknowledged for their efforts. Many roles involve zero customer interaction, so employees rely on managers to provide this engagement touchstone.

On the flip side, don’t micromanage. Showing faith in your team to do their job is a big boost to confidence and engagement.

Build beyond basic skills

Employees also want to know they have prospects: will they be moving up the ladder and if so, how? Managers who provide their employees with basic training and future development build a strong foundation for employee engagement.

Going to your employees is a big plus. Your employees need to know they can approach you. Management is the human element of the business; as such they can distance themselves from employees, or they can work with an open door. Encourage your employees to contact you if they have an issue affecting their performance.

A final thought on nailing engagement

The key takeaway is that engagement is a collaborative relationship. Stay in touch with your team and value them openly, listen to them supportively, and help them grow. It’s all teamwork, and everyone is responsible in a team. Ask around today to see how your employees are really feeling. You’ll save a lot more than trouble in the long run.

At nexVortex, we take employee engagement very seriously because we know that it is directly connected to our delivering Uncommon Service to our customers which is the anchor point of our culture. Contact us today and let’s discuss how we can help you with your cloud communication needs.